The Department of Defense's Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure as an instructional tool

Ethics are best taught and understood using examples rather than theory. The Department of Defense's Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure highlights the instructional value of ethical violations and the consequences of those violations. One of the main reasons why negative examples prove effective is that they can help supervisors recognize warning signs or problem behavior before those initial transgressions get out of hand and become more serious infractions. Another reason why negative examples can be particularly instructive is that they drive home the real reasons for policies and regulations that might otherwise seem frivolous or trivial in nature. Similarly, knowing what specific types of behavior would constitute an ethical violation might help individuals make more ethical decisions. Many conundrums could be solved through the examples of how other people may have innocently acted in ways that were later deemed unethical, such as wearing one's Army uniform while representing an outside organization -- something that has been disciplined as misrepresenting the Army's connection with that outside organization. Therefore, behavior that seems innocent might actually not be so.

2. One of the least offensive examples on this list is the Army staff sergeant wearing her uniform on the website of an outside organization. The officer might have believed that she was simply proudly representing her position in the military and did not realize that the image "gave the impression that she was participating in an official capacity or that the federal government had endorsed the organization." Moreover, military officers often do proudly wear their uniforms to outside events and are sometimes expected to proudly represent their position. Another less offensive example is the Department of Treasury agent who tried to convince a police officer during a traffic stop that she had credentials. This is not an offensive example because often the police will take into consideration a person's credibility based on their profession. If she was a woman of color, she might have felt additional pressure to convince the officer. Looking at it another way, military personnel receive special treatment when boarding flights, and that could also constitute a use of one's position for personal gain.

On the other hand, there are several offensive examples in the list. The accountant working for the National Science Foundation who used her government-issued travel card to make personal purchases and cash withdrawals for personal use flagrantly embezzled taxpayer money. As an accountant, she also used her position of power to try and "purge her illegal transactions." Her behavior as well as her professional training in accounting laws clearly indicate that the employee knew what she was doing was wrong.

3. All employees should be held to a high ethical standard, not only employees of the government. However, there may be some impression that government employees are held to a higher standard because the taxpayer is paying their salaries and they have been vested with greater trust than typical of a private organization. Government employees are essentially representatives of the government and the people as a whole. In other words, government employees represent the ethical culture of the people and to violate ethical codes as a government employee is s symbolic offence to the very values upon which the country was built. Finally, if ethical transgressions in government were not taken seriously, corruption would be even more endemic than it is. Government employees are provided with a degree of trust that is not expected as much from employees of the private sector who are motivated more by profit than by public service.

4. The ethical dilemmas faced by public employees are similar and often the same as those faced by employees in private organizations. Misuse of power is a common theme in the ethical infractions of employees, as people in positions of power might use those positions to gain advantages not typically associated with their job. Financial transactions such as using company credit cards for personal use are also common concerns for both government and private sector employees. Similarly, small and seemingly innocent gift-giving can be construed as bribery in both the public and private sectors.

5. If I were to create an Encyclopedia of Unethical Behavior based on my personal experiences, I would include the following instances:

(a) The head of the marketing department takes her friends out for lunch and dinner, jokingly mentions something related to a project she is working on, and subsequently puts the meal on the company card, saying that it was a business meeting.